Rail-joint connection.



PATENTED MAY 3, 1904.

M. N. WEBBER. RAIL JOINT CONNECTION.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT.- 16, 1903.

INVENTOH A nor/NE rs 110.. WAwmcn'cM, u. c. I

rrn rains Patented May 3, 1904.

MILTON N. WEBBER, OF FORT \AAY NE, IN I'll ANA, ASSI'G NOR OF ONE-FOURTH TO AUGUST lVIORllZ, OF FORT WAYNE, INDIANA.

HAlL dQllNl'l" CONNEC'HUN.

SPECIFICATIONforming part of Letters Patent No. 759,051, dated May 3,1904.

Application filed eptemhcr 16, 1903. Serial No. 173,417. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MILTON N. Vl IflBBEl-t. a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Fort Wayne, in the county of Allen and Stateof Indiana, have invented anew and Improved Raildoint Connection, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention has for its object to provide novel details ofconstruction for the connection of track-rails at their joints, whichwill aflord a very strong and electrically-continuous railjointconnection that may be applied to old or new track-rails and that willhold the rails at their meeting ends secured against lateral or verticaldisplacement.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination ofparts, as is hereinafter described, and defined in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis SIJBClilCZLtlOD, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of two end portions of track-rails attheir joint and. of the improved rail connection applied thereto. Fig. 2is a transverse sectional view substantially on the line 2 9. in Fig. 1.Fig. 3 is a side view of the rails at their joint and the improvedconnection therefor. Fig. 4. is a partly-sectional plan viewsubstantially on the line 4 4 in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a perspective view ofan end portion of one of the improved lishplates employed. Fig. 6 is aperspective View of an end portion of a track-rail, showing a notch inthe end oi the web of the rail, which is a feature of the invention; andFig. 7 is a detached perspective view of a clai'npingdiolt and keytherefor, which is an important detail of construction employed.

The track-rails shown to illustrate the application of the improvementare of the well known i shape, each consisting of a tread or headportion A, a web A, integral with the tread A, and a base A joined atitstransverse center by the lower portion of the web. as is shown inFigs. 1 and t, and the meeting ends of said rails that are true andsquare with the upper andlower surfaces of the same are held impingedupon each other by means of novel iishplates and connections that willnow be described.

The junction of the rail-bases A with the web A produces two similarlateral flanges on each rail that are level on their lower surfaces andslope on their upper sides from the web to their side edges. Thesubstantially similar fish-plates that efl ect a secured joint betweenthe meeting ends of the track-rails are each :lo'rmed of a single plateof metal bent or cast into shape as follows: The upper edge of eachfish-plate is shaped to lit in the rounded corner under the treads A ofthe rails and the corresponding surfaces of the railwebs, thus providingan u n'ight wall-plate 10 on each fish-plate. At a a corner-bend isformed in each fish-plate of such an angle as to produce a cap-plate 11,that his closely upon the upper surfaces of the base-flanges A.

The material of each lish-plate is returnbent at 7), so as to lit itaround the alined side edges of the base-flanges it is to have contactwith, and the remaining portion 12 of each fish-plate is lapped closelyupon the bottom surface of the base-flange.

Upon the straight inner edge of each bottom plate 12 an undercut hook cis Formed, these hooks being :ulapted ior interlocking engagement witheach other throughout their length, and the width of the two bottomplates 12 is so proportioned to that ol the rail-bases between theirside edges as to req ui re the fishplatcs to have an endwise-entorcedengagement of the hooks c thereon when said lishplates are placed inposition at a joint (Z between two alined track-rails, this hooked en- Igagement being efliccted by forcing the hooks together endwise of thefish-plates by driving or other suitable means.

At the longitudinal centers of the fish-plates, and preferably at thecenter of width of the upright wall-plates 10 thereon, a rectangularslot is formed in each wall-plate, these slots 0 when the fish-platesare in position extending an equal distance each side of the joint clbetween the ends of the track-rails.

in the webs A of the track-rails at their ends that impinge rectangularnotches q are fori'ned that aline with each other and register with theopposite slots in the wall-plates 10, one of said notches appearing inthe end of the track-rail shown in Fig. 6.

In the alined notches g and directly opposite the slots 0 a bolt 13 isfitted to drive closely therein, said bolt having a head 13 on one endthat may be rectangular in contour, as shown, and flat on the surfacethat bears upon the adjacent wall-plate 10 when the bolt is driven homein the transverse openings formed in the rails and the oppositecap-plates, as already described.

In the end portion of the bolt 13, that projects outside of thewall-plate 10 it last'passes through, a preferably rectangularperforation i of suitable size is formed that is vertical when the boltis in place and is so relatively positioned that the key 1 1, which isof a proper form to fit within the perforation in the bolt 13, will bearforcibly upon the nearest wall-plate 10 and bind the oppositewall-plates of the two fish-plates closely in contact with the alinedwebs of the track-rails.

It will be seen that the bolts and keys serve to form an electricalconductor between the ends of the rails, as the enforced contact oftheir bodies with the walls of the notches g insures such a result.Consequently a railwaytrack having the rails held together by theimproved means as described will be a continuous conductor forelectricity when and where this is desired.

To secure the key 14: in its driven engagement with the bolt 13, the keymay be tapered slightly sidewise and the perforation it occupies in thebolt be correspondingly shaped, so that the key cannot be driven too fartherein, and the smaller end of the key is slotted longitudinally at twopoints, near the edges thereof, thus producing two clenching members 1 1at said edges, which may be bent outwardly, and thus widen the end ofthe key they are formed on, which will secure the key firmly in place.

At a point near each end of the opposite fish-plates of the improvedconstruction a rectangular slot 0 is formed in each of the wallplates10, and in the webs A of the trackrails substantially similar slots areproduced that register with the slots 6, and in said slots the bolts 15are driven tightly, these bolts being similar in formation to the bolts13, or, to be more specific, the bolts 15 are in a like manner to thebolts 13 furnished with heads 15, and in their opposite ends, whichproject through the wall-plates 10, a vertical perforation is formed,wherein keys 16, similar to the keys 1 1, are driven and secured bybending their clenching members 16 outward, as shown by dotted lines inFig. 3.

The bolts 13 15 fit closely in the notches g in the ends of therail-webs A, as before explained, so as to adapt them to becomeconductors of electricity; but to compensate for the expansion andcontraction of the trackrails it is of advantage to form a narrow space9 at the end of each slot 0 a, which will per mit a proper endwisemovement of the rails in the fish-plates. At suitable points in thereturn bent edges 5 of the cap-plates 11 similar notches it are formed,(any desired number being provided) said notches being respectivelypositioned above a cross-tie, such as B, (shown in Fig. 1,) and in theties occupying the notches spikes C are driven, which serve to securethe fish-plates immovably upon the cross-ties. By this means an absoluteguard is provided against the creeping of the rails and the necessityfor the usual complementary devices is avoided.

It will be seen in Fig. 4 that the notches h in the return bent portionsof the fish-plates are flush at their inner ends with the edges of therail-bases when the rails and fish-plates are seated upon the cross-tiesB, so that the spikes C when driven into the ties have bearing contactupon the edges of the track-rails, but do not prevent the rails fromexpanding longitudinally. The joint between the meeting ends oftrack-rails may also be located between cross-ties, and the improvement,if applied, will reliably connect the rail ends and afford a conductorfor electricity.

It will be apparent from the description hereinbefore given that thefish-plates form a complete casing for the lower portion of the meetingends of two track-rails, and as the fish-plates are driven togetherendwise at their hook connections 0 said hooks, together with the bolts13 15 and keys 1 1 16, serve to hold the rails secured together inelectrical continuity, but permit the rails to expand and contract inaccord with changes in temperature to which the rails are subjected inservice.

Having thus described my invention, Iclaim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. A rail-joint connection comprising twofish-plates, each having a top plate bearing on the rail-bases andextending up in contact with opposite sides of the rail-webs, a bottomplate integral with each top plate and having hooked engagement at themeeting edges, the top plates having opposed rectangular slots therein,that register with rectangular openings in the rail-webs, arectangular-bodied and headed bolt, having enforced engagement withinthe slots and web-openings, said bolt having a vertical perforationtherein, and a wedgeshaped' key that is driven down into the perforationand having clenching members at the lower end, that by divergence securethe key in place.

2. The combination with two track-rails at their meeting ends, of twofish-plates, formed keys engaging in vertical perforations in saidbolts, and clenched by spreading the split portions of the keys, eachlish plate having notches in its return bent edge to receive spikes thatare driven into a cross-tie for holding the fish-plate thereon.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

MILTON N. WEBBER.

itnesses \VILLIAM EGGIGMANN, HENRY W. BECKER.

